Safety guard for container closures

ABSTRACT

A safety guard for containers, such as a bottle having a threaded mouth section and a complemental closure cap, said safety guard more particularly comprising a cylindrical body having an upper opening for receiving the upper end of the closure cap therethrough, said body having inturned flanges at the top and bottom thereof, said flanges being engageable with said closure cap for retaining said body in a position enshrouding said closure cap, the upper flange being rigid though flexible to yield under force and allow said guard to move downward and expose said closure cap through the upper opening.

I ilriited States Patent Inventor Danny L. Deaver M225 Lora Drive, Los Gatos, Calif. 95030 Appl. No. 876,754 Filed Nov. 14, 1969 Patented Dec. 21, 1971 SAFETY GUARD FOR CONTAINER CLOSURES 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

Primary Examiner-George T. Hall Att0mey- Eckhoff and Hoppe ABSTRACT: A safety guard for containers, such as a bottle having a threaded mouth section and a complemental closure cap, said safety guard more particularly comprising a cylindrical body having an upper opening for receiving the upper end of the closure cap therethrough, said body having inturned US. Cl 215/9, flanges at the top and bottom thereof, :said flanges being en- 215/95 gageable with said closure cap for retaining said body in a lint. Cl i. A6lj 1/100, position enshrouding said closure cap, the upper flange being B65d 55/02 rigid though flexible to yield under force and allow said guard Field of Search 215/9, 95, to move downward and expose said closure cap through the 43.5 upper opening.

mm mm m $528,680

INVENTOR.

DANNY L. BEAVER ATTORNEYS SAFETY GUAIIID FOIR CONTAINER CLOSURIES This invention relates generally to safety closures for containers such as bottles and the like.

In brief, the present invention contemplates a relatively simple safety device which may be applied to conventional containers, such as a bottle having a threaded mouth section and a complemental closure cap. Safety closures are, of course, well known and are used to provide or ensure against inadvertent opening of bottles and other containers. In particular, these devices have been applied to containers for medicinal remedies, drugs and other dangerous substances which, if taken internally or in excess, may' create sickness or injury. Safety closures are frequently used to make it difficult or impossible for young children to open medicinal containers and to ensure that any medications within the container are administered by an adult.

Although various safety closures have been devised, many of these either fail to provide the safety assurances required or by reason of their complexity make the devices too difficult to manufacture or too expensive for general application.

It is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide a safety closure of great simplicity which may be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

Another object is to provide a safety closure or guard of the kind described which may be applied to containers having a threaded closure and which provides the necessary difficulty or impediment to the removal of the closure and, therefore, prevent inadvertent opening of a container to which it is applied.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a safety closure which cannot be operated except by an application of a reasonably strong force and, thus, prevents the opening of containers by a young child.

It is a further object to provide a safety closure of the kind described which has particular utility in connection with conventional containers having a threaded neck portion and a complemental closure cap.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like parts are identified by like reference numerals throughout the same,

FIG. I is an exploded view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention in a safety guard for a bottle having a threaded opening and a closure cap;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation illustrating the cap threadably mounted on a bottle and a safety guard partially mounted on the cap;

FIG. 3 is a partial side elevation and vertical section of the bottle, cap and safety guard fully assembled;

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevation and vertical section of the bottle, cap and guard illustrating the position of the safety guard which affords access for rotating the cap; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a second embodiment in a guard as contemplated by this invention.

Referring to FIG. I in particular, there is illustrated a container I0 having a neck portion a and threaded end Illb there above. Threaded end I0b is adapted to receive a threaded closure cap 11, the lower edge of the cap being formed with an annular rib Ila of substantially greater circumference than the rest of the cap. It will be evident that bottle It) and cap 11 are each ofa conventional design generally used for containers of medicinal products, such as aspirin.

The present invention is more particularly concerned with providing a safety guard 12 having a cylindrical body I which will enshroud cap 11 and make it difficult if not impossible for children to remove the cap from bottle I0. Guard I2 more particularly comprises a pair of upper and lower inturned flanges 12b and He. Upper flange 12b provides a relatively stiff though flexible collar which defines an opening I3 having a peripheral dimension slightly smaller than the head circumference of cap 111. A plurality of slits 13a formed in the edge of the flange enhance flexing. Nevertheless, the flexibility of the material from which guard I2 is made (which may be any one of a number of plastic materials) allows opening 13 to be enlarged sufficiently to receive the upper end of cap II therethrough. This structural relationship is best illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings. Flange I2 also provides a peripheral shoulder or rim I4 which may be engaged for pulling the guard up over the cap and into the position of FIG. 3.

Lower flange I20 it will be noted, is located in spaced relation from flange 12b, the distance between flanges being slightly greater than the length of cap Iil. Thus, when guard 12 is positioned as shown in FIG. 3, flange 12b rests on the top surface of cap II and flange I20 is supported slightly below annular rib Illa. Flange I20 defines an opening 15 and the underside of the flange is relieved to provide a camming surface I6. Opening 15 is slightly smaller than annular rib Ila, although it may be enlarged to receive rib llIa therethrough when guard I2 is mounted to the cap.

FIG. 2. best illustrates the manner in which guard I2 is assembled to cap II after the cap has been screwed onto bottle Ill. In this connection, guard 12 is first aligned over cap II and then moved vertically downward, the surface I6 of flange I21: engaging rib lIa. Continued movement of the guard wedges flange 12c upward and radially outward, thereby allowing the flange to pass beneath rib Illa and assume the position as shown in FIG. 3.

In operation, guard I2 is normally mounted upon cap II as a shroud which prevents that type of finger contact or engage ment which is essential for rotating the cap. The relative stiffness and yet flexibility of the material from which guard I2 is made and the dimensional difference between opening I3 and the top surface of cap II, requires that a substantial axial force be applied to the guard to enlarge opening I3 and allow the guard to move downwardly onto neck 10a of the bottle. Referring to FIG. I, it is in this position of the guard that cap II becomes accessible, allowing the cap to be engaged and rotated. After the cap has been replaced onto threaded end 10b of the bottle, guard may then be returned to its safety closure position by pulling the guard upward and repositioning the inner portion of flange 12a over the head of cap II.

FIG. 5 of the drawings illustrates a second safety guard 20 comprised of a cylindrical body 20a and having a single inturned flange 20b for retaining the guard in a position that enshrouds closure cap ZI. As with safety guard I2 the cylindrical body 20a defines an upper opening 22 for receiving closure cap 21 therethrough when the guard is moved downward onto the neck portion Illa of the container. Unlike guard I2, no upper flange is provided. A similar function, however, is accomplished with flange 2011 which is received between the lower end of cap 21 and a recess 23 formed in the neck of the container.

Although preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described, various modifications and changes may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, camming surface I6 may be formed as a rounded head edge as well as the angular surface shown. It is also contemplated that the provision of a camming edge may be unnecessary of inadvisable in certain applications. In some circumstances, for example, the cap may be fully inserted through top opening 13 and in such event bead IIa of the cap need never pass below flange ll2c. Thus, various modifications and changes are contemplated.

What is claimed is:

I. In combination with a container having a threaded neck portion and a complemental closure cap, a guard having a cylindrical body and upper and lower inturned flanges, the upper flange defining an opening slightly smaller than a peripheral rim on the head of said cap, said upper flange being relatively stiff though sufficiently flexible to stretch the normal opening size and receive the head of said cap therethrough, said lower flange cooperating with the upper flange and closure cap to mount the guard in a position enshrouding said cap, whereby said guard prevents finger engagement with the closure cap until sufficient force is applied to enlarge the opening and allow the head of said cap to be received therethrough.

2. The combination of claim 1, said container comprising a bottle having a neck portion onto which said guard may be moved after a sufficient force has been applied to the guard to enlarge the opening defined by the upper flange.

3. The combination of claim 1, a portion of said guard projecting peripherally outward t define a rim which provides a grip for moving the guard along said cap to position the upper flange above the head of said cap.

4. The combination of claim 1, the upper flange of said guard having a plurality of slits formed in its edge to enhance flexing 5. The combination of claim 1, said closure cap having an annular rib formed on its lower end, the lower flange of said guard being engageable with said rib for retaining said guard on said cap.

6. The combination of claim I, the lower flange of said guard defining an opening slightly smaller than a peripheral rim on the cap, said lower flange being relatively stiff though sufficiently flexible to stretch the normal opening size and receive the rim of said cap therethrough.

7. The combination of claim 1, the lower flange of said guard defining a camming surface engageable with the rim of said cap for enlarging the opening defined by the lower flange.

i t i i i 

1. In combination with a container having a threaded neck portion and a complemental closure cap, a guard having a cylindrical body and upper and lower inturned flanges, the upper flange defining an opening slightly smaller than a peripheral rim on the head of said cap, said upper flange being relatively stiff though sufficiently flexible to stretch the normal opening size and receive the head of said cap therethrough, said lower flange cooperating with the upper flange and closure cap to mount the guard in a position enshrouding said cap, whereby said guard prevents finger engagement with the closure cap until sufficient force is applied to enlarge the opening and allow the head of said cap to be received therethrough.
 2. The combination of claim 1, said container comprising a bottle having a neck portion onto which said guard may be moved after a sufficient force has been applied to the guard to enlarge the opening defined by the upper flange.
 3. The combination of claim 1, a portion of said guard projecting peripherally outward t define a rim which provides a grip for moving the guard along said cap to position the upper flange above the head of said cap.
 4. The combination of claim 1, the upper flange of said guard having a plurality of slits formed in its edge to enhance flexing
 5. The combination of claim 1, said closure cap having an annular rib formed on its lower end, the lower flange of said guard being engageable with said rib for retaining said guard on said cap.
 6. The combination of claim 1, the lower flange of said guard defining an opening slightly smaller than a peripheral rim on the cap, said lower flange being relatively stiff though sufficiently flexible to stretch the normal opening size and receive the rim of said cap therethrough.
 7. The combination of claim 1, the lower flange of said guard defining a camming surface engageable with the rim of said cap for enlarging the opening defined by the lower flange. 